OOC Chatter

[Moto Mitsuki]

Also:

the finishing blow inflicts a critical strike with severity equal to two times the deadliness of the weapon or Attack action used, plus the attacker’s bonus successes.

A bokken is base deadliness 3, permanent wounds start at severity 7, so you just need one bonus success and an unlucky roll on the other side to permanently maim someone. Especially easy to do so accidentally in the Fire stance, as the bonus success from this stance are not optional.

[Kitsu Murato]

[Actually, that damage puts Raizo 1 point over his Endurance and thus into Incapacitated, which I'm PRETTY SURE, even in 5E's horseshit system, means the duel is over

Technically.

Incapacitated is not unconscious, it's more of a standing knock-out, when the brain has frozen over from blows/stress.

So a round 4 should theoretically happen. Raizo would get a chance to concede at the start of it, and things would end up exactly as they ended up in thread if they did, so no issue there.

However, if somehow he had chosen to continue, then, things would get even funnier.

Both characters would be compromised at the start of it (+4 strife for each). Since Raizo is unable to take any action requiring a check, only Murato would get the Finishing Blow... However the Finishing Blow is not an auto-hit.

So, since he is compromised himself, Murato is likely to miss it.

Then it's Murato's normal turn, and he gets another change to hit, the normal way. If he succeeds, since Raizo is Incapacitated, it'll be an auto-critical, and Raizo would be knocked unconscious this time (automatic if the character is already incapacitated).

Should he failed however, Raizo could go Water Stance on his turn, use Calming Breath to have exactly as much fatigue as endurance, not be incapacitated again and thus be allowed to strike and get his own chance to hit with his second action.

Should Raizo also fail to hit, or simply not get the critical because Murato himself is not incapacitated yet, the slap fight would go on for yet another turn (no more Finishing Blow though).

Adendum... I would be able to attempt a water social check as one of 2 water actions and bard away strife. So my second action would potentially be uncompromised.

[Suzume Senseki]

To be honest, I actually liked the duel rules, kind of at least. Could use some work, but it does make for some back and forth, and although it's got its own rules (which tbh are not necessarily only for iai duels, it could be used for duels with other weapons, and with some changes maybe even to other 1-on-1 situations... like go, even), it using the same skills and stats used elsewhere, most of the time at least, means duellists are less one-trick-ponies than they were in 4e... which I actually like!

That said...

Also:

the finishing blow inflicts a critical strike with severity equal to two times the deadliness of the weapon or Attack action used, plus the attacker’s bonus successes.

A bokken is base deadliness 3, permanent wounds start at severity 7, so you just need one bonus success and an unlucky roll on the other side to permanently maim someone. Especially easy to do so accidentally in the Fire stance, as the bonus success from this stance are not optional.

The absurd deadliness of critical strikes in 5e duels is something I'm definitely not a fan of. Kakita are apparently the only ones with some chance of avoiding maiming their opponents in duels, and while it makes sense they would be better at it, the way this ends up working feels absolutely weird to me and breaks my immersion somewhat.

I'm planning on trying a TbT session with 5e at some point... and I'm considering assuming duels use 'blunt' katanas with reduced deadliness, and/or just straight up include a rule where when you deal a critical strike during a duel you can choose to halve the deadliness of your weapon before you declare an attack or something like that (to half the weapon's deadliness with normal strikes, or their normal deadliness with a Finishing Blow).

That might break something else, but it's something I'm willing to try to have fewer lame duellists walking around

[Shiba Raizo]

I'd just houserule it that in an agreed-upon duel to first blood, the need for critical strikes goes out the window.

It'd keep Earth Stance from shutting down the Strike action's chance to do anything of any value, for one...

[Suzume Senseki]

I'd just houserule it that in an agreed-upon duel to first blood, the need for critical strikes goes out the window.

It'd keep Earth Stance from shutting down the Strike action's chance to do anything of any value, for one...

I mean, without critical strikes there's not even a "hit", much less "blood", at least the way the system is written...

I've struggled a bit with that in sparring matches too. The way things are written, you'd actually have to take a critical to "take one hit". Removing criticals from the rules for duelling would change so many things it would probably need some more remodelling...

Although you know, there's the option of just using a single roll for duels on a sidebar somewhere. Maybe it could be changed to two rolls (one with Meditation, one with the weapon) if you want to avoid the minigame completely.

But then again I just think some changes to deadliness might make things work without so much bloodshed.... maybe

[Moto Mitsuki]

Adendum... I would be able to attempt a water social check as one of 2 water actions and bard away strife. So my second action would potentially be uncompromised.

Truly, the Ikoma have learnt much from the real-life Miyamoto Musashi and his mind game tricks.

(one of the many things missing from the rules is examples of what a Unique Action in a duel can be)

[Moto Mitsuki]

The previous initiative roll shouldn't have counted strife since Yuzu is in Void.

Reminder: A character enters a stance after rolling initiative. Stance effects do not affect the initiative roll itself. So no extra bonus from Fire, and no strife cancelling from Void.

[Kuni Yasu]

Running con this weekend. Thanks to this being a very weird year, I got busier earlier than expected. I may or may not get a post in around the edges.

[Matsu Ishioka]

Running con this weekend. Thanks to this being a very weird year, I got busier earlier than expected. I may or may not get a post in around the edges.

We hope to see you for the big finale, Yasu. Hope all is well.

[Asahina Bo]

I mean, without critical strikes there's not even a "hit", much less "blood", at least the way the system is written...

I've struggled a bit with that in sparring matches too. The way things are written, you'd actually have to take a critical to "take one hit". Removing criticals from the rules for duelling would change so many things it would probably need some more remodelling...

Although you know, there's the option of just using a single roll for duels on a sidebar somewhere. Maybe it could be changed to two rolls (one with Meditation, one with the weapon) if you want to avoid the minigame completely.

But then again I just think some changes to deadliness might make things work without so much bloodshed.... maybe

Yeah the downside of the one-roll rules is they're actually more lethal because winning is based on comparing successes and bonus successes add to the lethality of the critical hit (non-optional), So in order to guarantee winning you can't 'hold back' on how lethal it is going to be.